An EU ban on British live animal, dairy and meat products arising from the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey earlier this month was lifted yesterday with the support of Ireland.
The EU standing committee on the food chain and animal health decided to give initial approval for the resumption of meat and animal product exports from Britain to EU countries.
Confirming that Ireland had supported the removal of the ban, Minister for Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan said the decision was a very strong indication of a return to normality following the outbreak.
She said it had been a very worrying time for the Irish agricultural industry, but the decision reflected the expeditious and effective manner in which the UK authorities had responded to the outbreak, and the way in which it had been contained.
Ms Coughlan said it was important that a balance be struck between ensuring that any remaining threat had been eliminated and the need to return to normal trading conditions as soon as possible.
She said she was satisfied the decision struck that balance.
She explained that the decision reduced the area from which the export of live animals and meat and dairy products would continue to be banned to a 10km zone around the premises on which the two cases were confirmed.
"This will facilitate the export from Great Britain, other than from within the existing protection and surveillance zones, of live animals and animal products with appropriate certification and, in the case of live animals, advance notice.
"It will also facilitate the exportation to GB of live animals within a matter of days," she said in a statement.
She said the certification control introduced for the movement of horses to and from Britain would also be lifted.
She said a particular focus of her department's efforts over the past fortnight, since the original certification requirements were introduced for Northern Ireland animals and products, had been on ensuring that normal North/South trade continued to be facilitated.
The move was also welcomed by the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture Michelle Gildernew, who said it was further good news for local industry and followed the recent restoration of trade with the US.
The industry in the North is estimated to have lost millions of pounds of orders because of the outbreak.